There’s nothing more satisfying than setting up a line of dominos, and (if toddlers or pets or a misplaced elbow don’t ruin it) watching them fall down tile by tile. The slow tedious work of putting it all together pays off as you get to see the impact that one pushed tile has on a long line of others.
The domino effect in ministry is similar.
We long to see communities transformed and brought out of poverty. This desire burns in our hearts and keeps us working hard, traveling to remote areas, enduring sleepless nights on uncomfortable mattresses or squished in tiny airplane seats. When we speak our dreams aloud, we know it might sound impossible to others. Whole villages brought out of poverty just from teaching basic Biblical truth!? Surely that’s impossible.
But we have seen it. And just like the falling dominos, it starts with one. One man courageous enough to believe it’s possible. One woman willing to put Scripture into action. One road built. One village that can now bring produce to market. One community that now has extra money to educate the children. One generation with the knowledge and skills to go further than their parents could. And on and on it goes.
Recently, we’ve received several stories from our partners where the work of one person inspired another. In one story, it was a few people picking up trash in an alleyway that had become littered with garbage and used as a place for thieves to hide. A few hours of hard work brought safety to a community. The mayor noticed and used his resources to clean more roads, enlarging the impact. One small act grew beyond expectation.
In another area, urbanization was increasing flooding, decreasing access to water, and reducing the forested area. After going through TCT, a church decided to tackle these big issues by planting trees. Other churches heard what they were doing and got involved. Together, they planted 125 trees along the road. The local leaders came to the tree planting ceremony to take part in the celebrations. As community members gave speeches, pledging to care for the trees, the mayor also gave a speech. He announced that he would use city funds to buy 400 additional trees and build a fence to protect the trees from animals. It started with a few trees planted by one church, but the impact multiplied. More dominos fell.
In the Philippines, Pastor Angelo and his wife Hiraya led a church. But they didn’t stop their ministry at the pulpit. They selflessly offered their time and skills to help those in need by repairing houses and motorcycles at no cost. Moved by their example and after hearing the TCT lessons in church, Nimuel, a woodcutter, decided to make himself and his chainsaw available to anyone needing to cut trees for building or repairing their home, asking only for the cost of fuel.
Inspired by Nimuel’s generosity, the church’s youth were eager to share with those in need. They organized a clothing drive and delivered much-needed supplies to families living in a remote area.
In each of these stories, a small Act of Love led to more change than the original person or people intended. Imagine what comes next as the impact continues to spread!
